WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump talks plainly, bluntly, often even coarsely. But it’s rare he drops an actual F-bomb as cameras are rolling.
But that’s what he did on Friday, when a journalist asked him about reports that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had offered significant concessions to try to reduce bilateral tensions, including offering the U.S. the natural resources of the country.
“He has offered everything,” Trump responded, effectively confirming the reports. “He offered everything. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f— around with the United States.”
The New York Times reported last week that Venezuelan officials offered the U.S. a major stake in the country’s oil and other mineral wealth. But the Trump administration ultimately rejected those offers.
Separately, the Associated Press reported that Venezuelan officials had also floated a plan that would have Maduro leave office in three years and hand over power to Delcy Rodriguez, his vice president. That offer was also rejected by the U.S.
It didn’t take long for the White House to promote Trump’s curse words, which helped underscore his administration’s hardline stance toward Venezuela and the Maduro regime.
The administration’s rapid response account on the social media site X quickly pushed out a video of Trump’s f-bomb, accompanied by three fire emojis. It’s now the pinned post on the “RapidResponse47” account.
The official White House account, meanwhile, posted the video with the acronym: “FAFO,” meaning “f— around and find out.”
Trump has used the f-word at least one other time on camera this year, when he vented frustration in June about Israel and Iran continuing their fighting despite a ceasefire.
“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran, either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said then. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f—— they’re doing.”
He’s used the term at other times, too, when the cameras aren’t rolling. In a 2021 interview with an Israeli journalist, Trump lashed out about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s congratulatory comments to former President Joe Biden for winning the 2020 election.
In response to a video posted by Netanyahu on Jan. 20, 2021, Trump was quoted as saying: “I haven’t spoken to him since. F—— him.”
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